On Ascension Day on May 26th, the special corona regulations of the legislator will no longer apply in companies in Germany.
The Corona Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance with some basic protective measures such as ventilation, minimum distance and test offers is therefore expiring as planned.
"In view of the constant decline in the number of infections, there is currently no reason to extend the Sars-CoV-2 Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance beyond May 25, 2022," said a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Labor of the German Press Agency in Berlin.
The Verdi union criticizes the expiry of the Corona Protection Ordinance.
Her boss Frank Werneke said on Wednesday on rbb24 Inforadio that Corona was not over.
Masks, distance and regular testing would have gotten us through the pandemic well.
With the abolition of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, there is practically no legal basis at all to react when the number of infections increases, said Weneke.
From May 26th, companies will no longer have to offer their employees a home office.
Yasmin Fahimi, the new head of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), had already called for a permanent legal right to work from home at the beginning of the week.
“It is difficult to say at the moment whether we will need home office again in the fall.
But establishing a home office entitlement - regardless of the pandemic - would make sense," said Fahimi of the Funke media group.
The rules for companies had already been relaxed in March.
Today, employers have to carry out a risk assessment to check whether certain measures are necessary – such as working from home, free tests and the provision of protective masks.
The Ministry of Labor pointed out that relevant regional and company outbreaks of infection cannot be ruled out.
"Against this background, employers are required to constantly adapt their risk assessment to the infection process in accordance with the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act."